Leading & Managing Educational Technology
Briefing for 18 September 2008
By Terry Freedman
Wed, 17 Sep 2008, 23:46

In today's briefing we look at:

• Sharing good practice
• News about assessment information
• Governmental YouTube channels
• Suicide and the internet
• An online conference in the UK

Sharing of good practice

What works well

Use this website to find case studies of how improvements were made in various aspects school life, including ICT. Not all of the case studies that result from a search on "ICT" are uniquely concerned with ICT per se -- for instance, at least one is about how assessment for learning was used across the board to improve results in all subjects. Nevertheless, it's well worth looking at this site, especially as, although anybody can upload a case study, it has to be approved before being placed on the site.

Case studies are clearly set out, divided into the sections:

Introduction

Who

What

Impact

Summary.

If preferred, you can download them as PDFs.

You search by filtering on any combination of 7 filters and a search string. Some of them look fascinating, and would work in a non-UK context too.

Could do better

Ofsted, the schools inspection service for England and Wales, publishes a regular bulletin.

Ofsted: Schools and inspection - Issue six contains some very interesting articles, including information about the new Diplomas and the inspecting of them, and a summary of Assessing Pupils' Progress. As it happens, in the next issue of Practical ICT, which is in production as we "speak", there is an article about APP as it relates to ICT, so this Ofsted article will provide a more general backdrop against which to read the Practical ICT one.

There is other interesting stuff in this bulletin, including (as you'd expect) guidance on using data in measuring pupil progress.

Smile, you're on TV!

Someone high up has obviously decided that the British Government needs to spice up its act. No less than 9 Government departments have a YouTube channel. Here are the three that I think are most likely to be of interest to the leader of educational ICT:

10 Downing Street YouTube Channel

You can upload videos to this, as long as they're under 1 minute long and contain no party political content! As you'd expect, it consists of clips of the PM making speeches and visits.

Department for Children, Schools and Families YouTube Channel

Quite useful, with information on a range of issues, such as the Children's Plan. 

Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills YouTube Channel

Some interesting stuff here on science and technology. Perhaps the best reason to link, though, is that the main page contains links to all the other Government departments' YouTube channels! One of the "related videos" I came across looked promising: an MIT course about the principles of digital communication. I'm afraid I was unable to hang on for longer than about 90 seconds because -- well, check it out for yourself.

Department of Health YouTube Channel

I've included this in case any readers are engaged in Children's Services from a health perspective. Also, there is some interesting material here that will be relevant to the Society, Health and Development Diploma. 

Online news

Suicide and the internet: Updating the law

The law on assisting suicide is to be simplified to increase public understanding and reassure people that it applies as much on the internet as it does off-line.

Following a review of the Suicide Act 1961, the British government has decided to reframe it in new, modern language that will make it easier for individual internet users and internet-based businesses, such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to understand. Suicide ceased to be a crime in Britain in 1961 but under section 2 of the Suicide Act 1961, it remains an offence to 'aid, abet, counsel or procure' a suicide or a suicide attempt. The law applies equally to online and off-line actions.

Youth Online Conference

 There's an interesting-looking online conference called UK Youth Online on 27 September 2008. It hopes to cover, amongst other things, online safety, and projects that make use of online technologies. Visit this Ning community for more details.

I hope you found this briefing useful. Feel free to leave a comment in the box below.

© Terry Freedman Wed, 17 Sep 2008